24 www.aza.org | September 2016 September 2016 | www.aza.org 25 At ’s Lincoln Park , where Murphy serves as vice president of education and community engagement, there’s a play area for young children called Learn, Explore And Play (LEAP), where these animals need our help. “At the time, kids can discover nature, poke around in the you felt like, ‘Wow, this is so terrible; I’ve dirt, walk along a rock path, build a fort and got to let everyone know how terrible this more. Rather than bombarding children is,’” she said. And then, after a pause, “And with (sometimes scary) facts they’re too hen Dana Murphy these are 5-year-olds.” young to process, many educators now have thinks about Today, that approach has softened, as the a different goal: offer opportunities that will conservation education application of a relatively new field called help children love nature in hopes that, as in the 1990s, she conservation psychology—which studies adults, they’ll want to save it. remembers the Suitcase for Survival. the relationship between humans and the The portable classroom tool included natural world—grows in popularity at many %XLOGLQJ&RQQHFWLRQV items such as: ivory, crocodile purses, Association of and Aquariums (AZA)- Conservation psychology shows up in pelts, clothing and other pieces made accredited facilities. “In the past we thought, subtle ways at different facilities, but the from animal products. She’d go over the ‘Oh yeah, knowledge. If people know, they initiatives are all united in that same inventory, explaining that an endangered will take action,” said Murphy. “And what I intention: to foster a deeper connection animal lost its life for this and that and think we’re seeing now is that it really takes between humans and nature so that people then share the conservation message that that emotional connection.” take responsibility for its conservation. At Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill., children place ladybugs on plants, immersing themselves in nature while learning about the benefits the insects bring to a garden. A few miles away, at , couples walk along the peaceful Nature Boardwalk, an outdoor oasis, where they point out turtles, fish and frogs in a pond in the shadow of the downtown skyline. in Cleveland, Ohio, recently launched a website that highlights the Zoo’s conservation efforts and welcomes visitors to join them in taking action. And the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell, Ohio, invites visitors to join in a community effort to make sustainable dining choices in

k%URRNƓHOG=RR their daily lives.

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Clayton, who is co-author, along with psychologist Gene Myers, of the book Conservation Psychology: Understanding and Promoting Human Care for Nature, said visitors to zoos are surrounded by sights, sounds and smells that have the power to leave a strong impression. “As opposed to looking at a book or watching a film, you get a very rich sensory experience [at a zoo],” she said. “People are having emotional responses to that experience so that, too, makes it more vivid and memorable—just the feelings of awe people have, or wonder or even amusement or fear

in response to some of the animals.” The k%URRNƓHOG=RR trick is to tap into those strong emotional responses in order to drive personal “We know that people who have early conservation action. experiences in natural settings seem to be k%URRNƓHOG=RR Prior to the late 1990s, many zoos and more likely to become environmentally aquariums focused on educating visitors active as adults,” said Clayton. With 183 million visitors a year, AZA- with facts and figures about animals and the accredited zoos and aquariums have access need for conservation. The idea was that if (PEUDFLQJ1DWXUH to a remarkably diverse audience and the people knew that a population of animals Brookfield Zoo is a pioneer in potential to make an enormous impact, said was dwindling and needed help, then those conservation psychology. David Becker, conservation psychologist Susan Clayton, people would step up and help. Essentially, senior manager of learning experiences who is the Whitmore-Williams Professor educators were counting on knowledge and with the Chicago Zoological Society, of Psychology at The College of Wooster reason to drive behavior. Now, researchers said the Zoo hosted the first symposium in Wooster, Ohio. “One problem with are finding that, starting at a young age, related to the field—even before it was conservation is you find yourself preaching emotions and connections to nature are called conservation psychology—in 1997, to the choir,” said Clayton. “But zoo and more motivating than statistics, and being bringing together leading researchers aquarium audiences are not the choir— in a supportive social environment can also including Carol Saunders, who co- they’re people from all over the spectrum.” help influence conservation behavior. founded the area of study.

September 2016 | www.aza.org 27 Soon after, the Hamill Family Play Zoo was designed at Brookfield Zoo, based on research shared at the symposium. This interactive exhibit, aimed at kids younger than 10 years, invites children to participate in hands-on learning experiences, such as tracking animal prints, building animal homes, pretending to be animals and more. Becker cites the research of conservation psychologist Myers for helping to shape the Hamill Family Play of the boy’s interest and asked, “What do Zoo. Myers’ research has found that you think it would be like to have a head children and adults interact differently with that big?” In posing the question that way, animals, said Becker. “When children are Becker explained, the staff member was pretending to be and imitating animals, helping the child put himself in the ’s that ties in with their understanding of and place, while also starting a conversation that empathy for those animals,” said Becker. aimed to hone in on his sense of wonder. Because of that, in the Play Zoo, Becker In the years since the Hamill Family said, “Anywhere that there is an animal, Play Zoo opened, Becker said that an there is an opportunity either to take care of overarching learning strategy guided by that animal or to be that animal.” conservation psychology has been tied to Becker said that staff at all of the exhibits and educational programs Brookfield Zoo are trained at the Zoo. Conservation psychology also to embolden children influences the Zoo’s strategy in evaluating to relate to different what people are getting out of a zoo animals as a way visit, said Jerry Luebke, senior manager of encouraging of audience research with the Chicago empathy. He shares Zoological Society. Luebke said that in the example of measuring outcomes, the staff doesn’t just a child who was try to glean what visitors have learned intrigued by a at the Zoo. They also try and discern bison skull at whether people feel more connected the Zoo. A staff to nature following their visit and ask member took note questions about visitors’ intentions when

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it comes to conservation efforts. Luebke said that through his research, he’s learned that people’s interactions with animals— including making eye contact through a viewing window, through touching different animals or watching interactions among animals, such as a mother and her young—tend to register with visitors on an emotional and, potentially, motivational level. “The more active the animal, the closer people are to animals, the more impact it’s going to have,” he said. At Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the education programs and exhibits all focus on the Zoo’s mission: connecting people to wildlife and inspiring personal responsibility in conservation, said director of conservation education Vicki Searles. “We always want to know what we want people to learn. We want specifically to identify how we want them to feel. And we always, always, always have an action that we want them to take that’s very focused,” she said. k%URRNƓHOG=RR

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vice president of education at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, said conservation psychology surfaces in small but important ways at her facility—namely during keeper talks. Throughout the facility, keepers share stories—rather than just facts— about different animals, and then they tie those talks to a specific action people can Knowing that a supportive social take—like buying sustainable seafood—to environment may influence conservation make a difference. “We say ok. We’ll help behavior, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo you. If you want to help fish in the ocean, recently launched a new website, here’s the Seafood Watch app you can futureforwildlife.org, to highlight the download. Here’s the benefit. You can buy conservation efforts the Zoo is making with a fish that is sustainably sourced, so that different species, while also connecting helps the environment and is healthy for those efforts with direct actions visitors can you.” Plus, she added, the actions suggested do to make a difference in nature and the connect visitors to a community of people environment. The suggestions include small, nationwide that are taking those same accessible steps, such as where to recycle a actions, “so you’re becoming a part of cell phone and recommendations on how to something bigger.” choose certified sustainable products, along Ross said that when trying to influence with an option to make a donation. behavior, it’s important to keep the Danielle Ross, who is chair of AZA’s messages positive—particularly around Conservation Education Committee and children. “You don’t want to expose kids to

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negative messaging too early in life because it becomes hopeless,” she said. “As bad as things are, if there’s no hope, what’s the point of trying?” For decades, zoos and aquariums have proven adept when it comes to understanding animal behavior. Now, staff at those facilities are shifting their attention to understand and influence people’s behavior. Rather than demonstrating what can go wrong with people and animals, zoos and aquariums are tapping into the emotions people have long experienced during their visits to motivate them with actions they can do that are right for wildlife and the environment. “For the most part, it’s the people’s

behavior that’s gotten us to this point,” said k%URRNƓHOG=RR Ross. “And it’s the people’s behavior that can get us out of this.”

Kate Silver is a writer based in Chicago, Ill.

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